( yjdraiman )

Comments made by yjdraiman

We need honest government with integrity.“Good leaders create a vision, articulate the vision, passionately own the vision, and relentlessly drive it to completion”

Public confidence in the integrity of the Government is indispensable to faith in democracy; and when we lose faith in the system, we have lost faith in everything we fight and spend for. As citizens of this democracy, you are the rulers and the ruled, the law-givers and the law-abiding, the beginning and the end.

YJ Draiman for Mayor of LA 7 points StatementYJ Draiman for Mayor of Los Angeles 2013 StatementIn my humble opinion the biggest problem I see is the Pensions.It takes a major portion of the City Budget and keeps on growing. This is a problem many Cities and States are facing. A solution has to be found.The second problem is the Unions.They are no longer an asset to the public, but a hindrance in solving the budget crisis and very inefficient in work performance and very costly.The Third item is the need to cut the City staff, reduce spending, eliminate redundancy, consolidate departments, increase efficiency and reward performance.The Fourth item needing to be addressed is Mayor should appoint one neighborhood council member to each of the city's boards of commissioners including the proprietary departments as well, either through a charter amendment, ordinance or by policy directive.The Fifth item is to make the city more business friendly to attract businesses, not chase them away and reduce revenues. This takes a multitude of actions. Appoint LADWP ratepayer advocate.The Sixth item is to improve education and reduce the top heavy LAUSD administration. We need to make our schools an education icon, not a warehousing of students.The seventh item is to improve public transportation.People today are concerned about a roof over their head and a Job – this is top priority.I think this is good for starters. (There are many more items)Thank youYJ Draiman for Mayor of Los Angeles 2013PS. The key is for everyone to work together without any hidden agenda. The only concern should be the current City budget crises and the residents of the community. Everything must be above board and transparent.yjdraimanformayor@yjdraiman.org

Rebuilding Trust in Our Government (R)One of Americas statesmen stated “government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem.” His presidency ushered in an era of disdain for government and a widespread cynicism that government could be effective in addressing our challenges.Today, as we confront a crisis that has shaken confidence in our financial system and economy, we have an opportunity to restore public trust and confidence in the legitimate role of government. Indeed, to effectively tackle our economic challenges and to implement the reforms we need in our healthcare, education, energy, and environmental policies, our government will need to garner strong public support.However, rebuilding public trust will not happen in the face of a pervasive perception that government is not transparent and accountable, cronyism is rampant, and public officials are more interested in helping themselves than in serving the public good.Taking strong, swift, and decisive action to address abuses and begin to rebuild public trust should be the first priority for our city, state and federal government in the new legislative session.Create a Task Force on Public Integrity with a mission to develop a comprehensive proposal for ethics and lobbying reform in our city and state. Which addresses reforms in three areas: (1) strengthening enforcement of ethics, campaign finance, and lobbying laws; (2) strengthening civil and criminal penalties for abuses; and (3) improving awareness and education for public officials.Reinforce honesty, integrity and transparency by government officials as the core requirement to be and stay in office, any violations of these core tenets will cause the removal of the public official and the loss of "all benefits" retroactive. I think we should consider putting public official on a base salary plus commission based on performance.While the many of our elected officials and government employees are honest, dedicated public servants, the actions of a few create a dark cloud over all.Taking strong, swift, and decisive action to address these abuses and begin to rebuild public trust should be the first priority for our city, state and federal government in the new legislative session.

YJ Draiman officially running for mayor of Los Angeles - 2013I am motivated by the wish to serve the Los Angeles community and protect our quality of life. I have the skill, experience, long time community involvement and personal commitment to lead the city. I will work hard to preserve residents’ priorities and the city’s coffers, during the difficult financial times ahead. Some of my more specific goals are encouraging economic vitality, preserving and improving the City infrastructure, protecting the quality of our neighborhoods, supporting our open space and bicycle trails programs, working with the Neighborhood Councils and the Chamber to encourage local, innovative green businesses, and proper Urban Planning for Los Angeles, among others.I previously ran for City Council in District 12.I decided that to do the job right I must run for Mayor.I am an Energy/Utility Auditor/Consultant for over 20 years.I am planning on completing my PHD in Energy Conservation in 2011I am married to a darling wife, we have two grown children – my oldest son is David Draiman a famous Rock Star with a Band by the name Disturbed, my younger son is a Psychologist doing research.I am looking forward to being elected and serving the people of the City of Los Angeles.We must work together as a cohesive force to improve our city. “Transparency and accountability is my motto”